Method of and means for making pronged sheet-metal stiffeners



Ap 1931- w. H. NICKERSON METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR MAKING PRONGED SHEET METAL STIFFENERS Filed May 27, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l JIZZZ f P 14, 1931- w. H. NICKERSON 1,801,018

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR MAKING PRONGED SHEET METAL STIFFENERS Filed May 27, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I I lizwigfii My WWW! Patented Apr. 14, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM H. moxnnson, or nnwrommnssnonusnrrs METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR MAKING P RON GED SHEET-METAL STIFFENERS Application filed May 27, 1929. Serial No. 366,445.

This invention relates to the manufacture of pronged sheet metal stifi'eners, such as those commonly used for reinforcing the shank portions of shoe soles, the stiffeners being formed by severing an elongated sheet metal strip into sections, each constituting a stifl'ener having prongs at its opposite, ends adapted to be anchored in a member of a shoe bottom.

The chief object of the invention is to reduce to a minimum the waste ofmaterial involved by the operation of forming integral prongs on the opposite ends of stiffeners cut from a strip of indeterminate length.

Of the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of stifiener forming means adapted to make pronged stifieners in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a section on line 22 of Figure 1, and a plan view of the parts below said line.

Figure 2a is a fragmentary section on line 2a-2a of Figure 2. t

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the upper element of the means shown by Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Fig ure 1.

Figure 6 is a perspective view, showing portions of the punching mechanism, the combined severing and inner bending mechanism, and the outer bending mechanism hereinafter described. I

Figure 6a is a perspective view, showing a portion of one of the members shown by F igure 6. I

Figure 7 is a perspective view of a portion of the strip, showing a punched orifice therein, and by dotted lines, the location of the severing cuts which detach a stiffener from the strip.

Figure 8 is a perspective view, showing a portion of the strip after a stiffener has been severed therefrom.

Figure 9 is a perspective View, showing the prongs on the inner end portion of the detached stiffener.

Figure 10 is a pleted 'stiifener. The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all of the figures.

' In the drawings 12 designates an elongated strip of sheet metal, preferably steel, of a thickness suitable for the stifi'ener which reinforces the shank portion of a shoe bottom, the strip being of uniform width and of any desired lengt My improved method includes the steps next described. I longitudinally feed the strip step by step, and while it is at rest, I punch it to form an orifice 13 having edges spaced from the edges of the strip by necks 14 of uniform width, each neck containing material for two pointed prongs. After the strip is punched, it is moved endwise to remove the orifice 13 fromthe punches, and held in a fixed position while the necks are being converted into prongs. In converting the necks I split the same obliquely from end to end along the dotted lines 16 (Figure 7), thereby detaching an incomplete stiffener from the strip and forming edges of pointed prongs 17 on the leadingend of the strip, and edges of pointed prongs 18 on the detached end of, the incomplete stifl'ener. The opposite end of the stifiiener has a pair of pointed prongs 17, originallyformed on the leading end of the strip.- The prongs 17 and 18 are bent outward from the plane of the stifiener, so that the completed stiffener shown by Figure 10 has outstanding prongs 17 at one end of its body portion 19, and outstanding prongs 18 at the opposite end. The only waste involved 1 is that involved in punching the blank 15 (Figure 6) from the strip.

The necks 14 are preferably sp1it,-and the inner prongs 18 bent by a single operation, as hereinafter described, said operation detaching a partially formed stiffener from the strip and bending the inner prongs 18 from the inner end of the detached stiffener, the prongs 17 on the leading end of the strip remaining unbent until they become the prongs at the opposite endxof the detached perspective view of a com- I will now describe the preferred means for practising the method above described.

21 designates a fixed element, which is the bed of a press. 22 designates a movable element, which is a press platen reciprocated by power, toward and from the bed. The bed 21 is provided with a punching mechanism including a" base member 23, fi'XBidEtQZtheLbOQ and provided with afemale punch 24, and a head 25, supported by springs 26, and provided with a male.punch:2T,:;said:1lu;mbeS being adapted to form the orifice 13 when the head 25 is depressed-bythe descentof-the platen22, which contacts with and depresses the head. The bed 23' is providedwitha guide 28 (Figure 4) for thestrip 12.. .Suitably spaced from the punchingmechanism i a mbined sev ring .and'inner bend-i g mechanism, adapted to s pl-it the necks ilt, and bend downwardlythe inner prongs 18. Said mechanism includes. a :pair of movable cutting. .and bending members .29, carried. by theplaten22 anda group of fixed cutting and bending members and 31, attached, to the bed'21 and adapted to cooperate with the. members 29,..as indicated by Figure 6. When the platen 22 descends, the mnelilb rs29 cooperate with the members 30 in splitting thenecksl, and :with the member .31 in downwardly belldingthe inner prongs 18. Figure 6 shows the members 1291by dotted lines, in their depressed positiomandby, full lines in theirraise'd position. Fig.16a shows the fixed members 30..a;nd 31 separated from the movable members29. I

Spaced from the severing-and inner b nding mechanism, isaapair of outer bending membersadapted' to bend from the outer end of the detached stiffener the outer prongsilff, originally "formed on the strip 12, Said members include a fixed member 33, attacl d to the bed 2 anda movable member 34, carried by the platen '22. When the member'iie descends, as indicated by dotted lines in'Fi ure6, it cooperates with the member 33in bending the prongs l7.

The stiffener provid d with prongs as described,maybemolded to impart thereto the longitudinal curvature and the rib 20shown by Figure 10," by a' fixed molding die 35, attachedto the bed 21, and a;m'ovable molding die 36', attached to the platerr22.

' ny suitable means. may feeding the strip 12, for example, feed rolls 38, shown ,by. dotted lines in Figure 1, said rolls being intermittently "driven. V

.iThe completedstiiiener maybe removed by any suitable means; Figuresl," 2 and 2a show removing meansincluding afinger *39 projectsunder' the body portioni t9 lo'f azcompleted stiffener, as shown by full lines-imFigbe provided -for ure 2a, and when moved to the position shown by dotted lines b the descent'of the platen, displaces the sti ener so that it may be conveniently removed.

I claim:

1. That improvement in the method of making pronged stiiieners from an elongated sheetinetal strimzwhichconsists.in' pnnching the strip to"form an orificethereinhaving edges spaced from the edges of the strip by -necksroiznniio m: width,.=sea neck containing material for two pointed prongs, splitting -saikiwnecks; obliquely. to. detach .laistiflener from the strip and form a pair of pointed prongsorr the leading end of the strip, and a pain of pointed prongs on the d taQh endof the ,stiflener, th opposit end o the tifiener h ving a pair of. pointed {prong riginallyff rmed o t e ading end ofthe strip, and outwa d y bend g sa prongs iron the plane ofthesti en r- "2.;Me ns f r making, pro ged tifleners froman el ngated shee mea1 s ri1p,.ompr.ising a fi 'd b'ed,.a1p1 nm0 ah wa d and fr'omfth be a pun ng m hanism n luding. a. bas hav ng. .a' female punch and attached. t th b d, a p ng-S pp d head on the bed h v ng' ma e punchfan m r b e by t e p a n t0 a s 'said, p nches t pun h an interposed strip, the punchingdiesf'being adap e o man orifice in the s ip having dge pace rom' h dg s h rip by ne ksv of u if m idt ea h n k containing material'for two pointed prongs, a combined severing. and inne bend ng m chanis a Q T I nI e, pu c ing mecha ism-and adapted 'to split said necks obliquelyand thereby detach a stiffener from the strip and form a pair of pointe'd prongs'onthe' leading nd f th st ip, nd a pair of p int d. prong on th deta h end o h s fie r; a mechanism including movable cutting and inner bending members carried by the platen, andfixed cuttingand inner bending members attached to the "bed, said members being adapted to bend the pair of pointed prongs from the detached end of the stiffener, and a pair of outer bending member's spaced from the severing and inner l ending mechanism and adapted tobend from the outer end of the detached stifi'ener the pair of outer pr ngspriginal-ly formed-- onfthe leadi'n l end .oi thestr-ip, one of said outer'members the bed.

In testimony mhereofpl"haveaffixedzmy signature WIIaLIAM-.H. NICKERSON. 

